Gary Johnson has now participated in one debate with other candidates seeking the Libertarian nomination, and has made plans to appear in others. Johnson has received the endorsement of several state and county LP organizations, which has not been a common practice in the LP in the past. Johnson has been included in several polls of hypothetical general election matchups. He has issued several press releases/op-eds, many of them on civil liberties issues such as ending the USAPATRIOT act, supporting gay marriage rights and legalizing marijuana. He has criticized leading Democratic and Republican contenders on these issues, and in a number of interviews on MSNBC, CNN, Fox, and other media outlets has suggested he could draw as many or more votes away from the Democrats as from the Republicans. Johnson spoke at a recent conference of the ACLU. He has also been holding a series of video/chat townhalls through his website with LP leaders; the next one will be tomorrow. Johnson has had several op-eds, interviews and articles in outlets such as Huffington Post, Washington Times, the Daily Caller, Reason Magazine, and so on, and has been doing local radio interviews around the country. Johnson also responded to the State of the Union, as did Lee Wrights and RJ Harris. Johnson has the most detailed spending plan of these candidates, calling for a 43% cut, and continues to make his case for the national sales tax plan known by its proponents as the FairTax, which has drawn criticism from Lee Wrights among others.

RJ Harris has been keeping his blog updated, has attended several state conventions and debates, has made plans for others, and has some newspaper articles. He has helped with Oklahoma ballot access. Along with Carl Person, Harris has reorganized his campaign under new management and both of these candidates as well as Bill Still have updated the design of their websites. Harris was involved in a car accident while on his way to a Constitution class at the Oklahoma Capitol taught by 2004 Libertarian presidential nominee Michael Badnarik which he helped arrange. Badnarik is now trying to teach such classes at state capitols around the country. Harris was not seriously injured, but had some car damage.

Lee Wrights has also continued, and plans to continue participating in state conventions and debates and writing regular articles/op-eds. He has also issued his first TV spot, which can also be used by other candidates, and was included in an Al Jazeera article along with several candidates of other parties.

Johnson, Harris and Wrights, out of the candidates who have participated in debates and remain listed at LP.org, have been issuing the most regular updates (although Still has been updating his website frequently, but I don’t know of any active distribution of his updates beyond that). They are also the three candidates who have been acknowledged in recent LP press releases and/or LP.org blog posts.

Carl Person, Bill Still and Roger Gary are the other three candidates who have been traveling to conventions, participating in debates and meet the new LP.org listing criteria:

Seeking the nomination of the Libertarian Party exclusively
Dues-paying member of the National Libertarian Party
Campaign website is current with contact information
Obtained the approval of at least five members of the 18-member Libertarian National Committee.

Of the remaining candidates that are no longer listed at LP.org, Sam Sloan (temporary website here) meets all the criteria except obtaining approval from five LNC members, which was added most recently. He has enough money to travel around to state conventions, and is trying to get into the debates but has been excluded.

Other candidates:

Jim Burns sends out fairly regular email updates to his list.

Robert Milnes continues to update his site/blog frequently. In recent weeks his main focus has been on exposing discrepancies in the resume claims of Tiffany Briscoe, who beat him for the Boston Tea Party nomination. He is trying to get the FBI to investigate that election, which he thinks was rigged, so far without any luck.

Politics1.com lists the following additional candidates, all or almost all of whom were previously also listed at LP.org but have since been removed:

Ralph
Beach (South Carolina)

Scott Keller (Florida)
– Computer programmer.

James Ogle
(California) – Parliamentary system advocate.

Dave Redick (Wisconsin)
– Retired businessman, engineer, Army veteran & frequent
candidate.

Leroy Saunders (Georgia)
– Limousine company owner.

Mosheh Thezion (California)
– Electronics technician & ’10 US Sen. candidate.

Dean Tucker (Texas)

Joy Waymire (California)
– Tea Party activist, ranch manager and tax preparer.

I don’t know what if anything any of them are doing by way of campaigning.

There are some additional candidates who are or were filed with the FEC as Libertarians that have not even made it into the politics1 listing, such as Ronald Keith Hebert and Shawn James Hogan. I don’t have any information about any of these candidates beyond their FEC filings.

At this time, the rumored entries of Jesse Ventura or (less likely) Ron Paul into the LP race remain rumors only.

One additional rumor has an unnamed wealthy individual supposedly interested in running for VP and spending a significant amount of money on the race, particularly or perhaps only if Gary Johnson is the nominee. 2008 VP candidate Wayne Root is also rumored to be a likely VP contender. Another possible VP candidate may be 2000 and 2008 VP runner up and 2008 presidential nomination candidate Steve Kubby. As in 2008, some of the presidential candidates may also switch to the VP race after being eliminated.

Additional information about the activities of any of these candidates, and any that I may have missed, welcome in the comments.

Well I finally did it. I figured it was time to pay my dues considering that I intend to go to Vegas and run against Mr. Hinkle or any of the other Starr-cabal for chairperson.

Originally I had considered mailing in 2500 pennies in payment of my dues, in a nice flat rate US Postage box with a light activated audio player to belt out “zwanzig funfhundert Hinterpfennig” to the tune of “Neunundneunzig Luftbaloon”, but alas, I was certain the uberparliamentoonians would lay claim that it was not rendered in legal tender, so I used a credit card on the website instead.

See you all in Las Vegas!

-Wes Wagner
PS: This is why we can’t have nice things.

Wagner is the chair of the Oregon LP that is currently recognized by both the State of Oregon and the LNC, but is being sued by another faction which claims to be the real Oregon LP. For background on that see IPR archives for

Wes Wagner

Oregon Libertarian

Libertarian Party of Oregon

So far, there are no other announced candidates for national chair. It is expected that current chair Mark Hinkle will seek reelection.

Rumored candidates include current vice chair Mark Rutherford and At Large rep Kevin Knedler, who said in IPR comments that he “may” run.
George Phillies has also been a frequent candidate for national chair in the past, as has Ernest Hancock. Past comments by Dr. Phillies indicated that he was likely to run again this year, but in response to Wagner he wrote:

Congratulations on your sound decision, which I heartily endorse.

I have not yet been able to ascertain whether that means he is endorsing Wagner rather than running himself.

Of the remaining 2010 chair candidates, John Jay Myers wrote in IPR comments:

Mark Hinkle is a great chair, and I will support him again this year.

I haven’t asked Wayne Root for comment, but Knedler said in his IPR comment that Root will not run. Rutherford was Root’s running mate in 2010, so it is unlikely that they would both run.

I have not asked Hancock what his plans are.

These are all the likely/rumored candidates for national chair that I know of. Additions and corrections welcome in the comments.

Here are the speakers scheduled:

As CEO and Chief Global Strategist of Euro Pacific Capital, Peter Schiff is one of the most in-demand commentators on economics and investments in America today. He is one of the few unbiased investment advisors (not committed solely to the short side of the market) to have correctly called the recent bear market before it began and to have positioned his clients accordingly. As a result of his accurate forecasts on the U.S. stock market, economy, real estate, mortgage meltdown, credit crunch, subprime debacle, commodities, gold and the dollar, he is becoming increasingly renowned. Mr. Schiff has been quoted in many of the nation’s leading newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Investor’s Business Daily, The Financial Times, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, The Miami Herald, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Arizona Republic, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Christian Science Monitor. He appears regularly on CNBC, CNN, Fox News, Fox Business Network, and Bloomberg T.V. Peter Schiff’s best-selling book, Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse was published by Wiley & Sons in February of 2007. His second book, The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets: How to Keep your Portfolio Up When the Market is Down was released the following year.

Robert Wiedemer is Managing Director at Absolute Investment Management and co-authored the landmark book, America’s Bubble Economy, published by John Wiley in 2006, that predicted the current downturn in the economy. “In short, America’s Bubble Economy’s prediction, though ignored, was accurate,” says Paul Farrell, Senior Investment Columnist at Dow Jones MarketWatch. Kiplinger’s chose it as one of the best business books of 2006.

His following book, Aftershock, published by John Wiley in November 2009, was chosen by Smart Money magazine as one of the five best investment books of 2009. Aftershock and America’s Bubble Economy have been the subject of articles in the major press, including the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Hedge Fund Journal, Euromoney, Barron’s, Reuters, AP, Bottom Line, and others. Aftershock and Aftershock Second Edition have sold nearly 500,000 copies.

Regulate Marijuana Like Wine (RMLW) Proposition advocate James P. Gray has been a trial judge in Orange County, California since 1983. Before becoming a judge, he served as a Volunteer in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, a staff judge advocate and criminal defense attorney in the Navy JAG Corps, a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, and a civil litigation attorney in a private law firm, in addition to being a Republican candidate for US Congress in 1998, and a Libertarian candidate for US Senate in 2004. Judge Gray has discussed issues of drug policy on more than two hundred television and radio shows and public forums all across the country. Using his experience on the bench and elsewhere, he authored a book on the failed War on Drugs, and another titled Wearing The Robe, about practical and ethical issues in being a judge. He has also composed a musical that encourages young people to expand their horizons and live a fuller life. Read more about Judge Jim Gray.

English author and theoretician in the field of gerontology, Dr. de Grey is the Chief Science Officer of the SENS Foundation. He is editor-in-chief of the academic journal Rejuvenation Research, author of The Mitochondrial Free Radical Theory of Aging (1999) and co-author of Ending Aging (2007). He is perhaps best known for his view that human beings could, in theory, live to life spans far in excess of that which any authenticated cases have lived to today.

One of the most, charismatic, passionate, and outspoken Libertarian political personalities in America today, Wayne Allyn Root is a best-selling author of seven books, a FOX News Channel regular guest, and a national media star. A former anchorman and host of five shows on Financial News Network (now called CNBC), Wayne is an entrepreneur, economist, small businessman extraordinaire, business speaker and author, and passionate capitalist evangelist. Wayne appears weekly on the nationally syndicated “Big Biz Show” with his segment “ROOT on Business.” He serves as Senior Economic Advisor to a global financial services company, as well as national spokesman for a precious metals firm. Wayne also serves on multiple Boards of Directors. He is the current chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee.

Activist, speaker, and blogger, Rosa Koire is a forensic real estate appraiser specializing in eminent domain valuation. Her research into and fight against redevelopment led her to the sustainability movement and was the genesis to co-found the Santa Rosa Neighborhood Coalition and the Post Sustainability Institute. She has been speaking and inspiring groups nationally to take action. Her book, Behind The Green Mask, was released in September 2011. Rosa is a must-hear for those interested in learning about how property rights, eminent domain, sustainability, corporate welfare, extreme environmentalism, junk science, and corrupt politicians are all related here in California.

Adrian Moore, Ph.D., is vice president of policy at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets. Moore leads Reason’s policy implementation efforts and conducts his own research on topics such as privatization, government and regulatory reform, air quality, transportation and urban growth, prisons, and utilities.

Moore, who has testified before Congress on several occasions, regularly advises federal, state, and local officials on ways to streamline government and reduce costs. He is also co-author of Mobility First: A New Vision for Transportation in a Globally Competitive 21st Century and Curb Rights: A Foundation for Free Enterprise in Urban Transit. His works have been published in many publications such as Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Orange County Register, The Independent Review, Economic Affairs, Public Policy and Management, and Consumer Affairs.

Lynn Grey Jensen is Founding Executive Director of the Ventura County Coalition of Labor Agriculture and Business. VC CoLAB was incorporated in July of 2010 in response to a number of pending regulations threatening agricultural and related businesses in Ventura County. They are a “homegrown” organization with a local board of directors and a growing membership. Lynn brings a scientific approach to fighting extreme regulations, many of which are being imposed throughout our state. Learn what is being done to your property rights, how it’s affecting your wallet and what you can do to fight back.

Evan McMahon is the Executive Director of Atlas Liberty PAC, whose mission it is to provide Libertarian affiliates at all levels the practical, nuts-and-bolts support necessary to become an effective force in local politics. Because Atlas Liberty is not a think tank, its focus transcends ideology, positions, and principles to focus on the mechanics and hard work of real politics and the knowledge and resources Libertarian affiliates need to win elections.

Atlas Liberty will provide training on fundraising, a complete walk-through on how to become an FEC filer (which every effective fundraiser must to do), voter registration, lobbying, and much more of the heavy lifting of successful retail politics.

The mission of Atlas Liberty is simple: provide Libertarians with a desire to win elections the resources, money, and training to do so.

Libertarian Party of California At-Large member and President of Freedom Property Management, Inc., Flavio will be putting on a breakout session to teach fellow Libertarians how to use the state’s new website (a.k.a. Freebook) to build a better county website, integrate with social networks such as Facebook, maximize the use of email campaigns through Mailchimp, and automate your newsletter using your new Freebook-powered county website. This will be a class for non-technical persons but will be of value no matter what your level of tech expertise.

Founder of the “Freedom Friend” as described in this Reason.tv video and current Chair of the California Libertarian Party’s Women’s Caucus, Michelle Lieberman will be speaking on helping women connect with liberty.

 
Further details can be found at the convention website.

Paul Krugman

http://blogs.forbes.com/wayneroot/

Paul Krugman is a liberal. He’s also untruthful on the topic of capital gain taxes. Like President Barack Obama and most liberal Democratic politicians, Krugman’s contortions about capital gains taxes are so pathetic you’d think he owned stock in Pinnochio Inc.

The question is why do Obama and his lackeys like Krugman so enthusiastically spread such misinformation about capital gains taxes? Alas, the answer is simple. With a totally failed presidential record the Democrat game plan for re-election is to incite envy, jealousy, and class warfare.

Take Krugman’s most recent work of fiction: his column from Sunday’s New York Times. He attacks capital gains tax rates as just for the “very rich” – “unwise, unjust and expensive favors showered on the upper class.”

The rest of the article: http://blogs.forbes.com/wayneroot/

Newt Gingrich may have won South Carolina. But this wasn’t a Newt victory, as much as it was a devastating rebuke to the national media. 

Study the poll numbers. Yes, Romney really dropped the ball with the tax return and 15% capital gains issues, but the numbers started flipping from a Romney landslide to a Newt Gingrich landslide only after the ABC television interview with Newt’s ex-wife. And voters made the final decision to change their votes only after hearing Newt strongly and courageously scold and shame the media in the South Carolina Presidential debate on Thursday. 

Make no mistake about it- this was a resounding rebuke of the mainstream media. They were kicked in the teeth. 

Read on. I’ll tell you why they deserved it. 

 America may hate politicians, they may hate Congress, they may even give Obama among the lowest ratings in modern history at this point in a Presidency. But the media has now sunk to even lower depths than the politicians.

 And deservedly so.

 Only days ago I pointed out what a travesty it was the media sharks were in a feeding frenzy to destroy Romney over taxes, Gingrich over ex-wives, and Ron Paul over 20 year old newsletters, but seemed to lack the same level of enthusiasm about Obama’s mysterious past. But the biased leftist media doesn’t care. Par for the course.

 This same mainstream media also snickers at the idea that Obama is a socialist. Funny how they ignore a brand new Pew poll that proves that liberal Democrats not only favor socialism over capitalism, but by a wide 59-33 margin they see socialism as a positive. Even more shocking is that the same poll proves that a large majority of African American voters (Obama’s staunchest supporters), by a 55-36 margin, also see socialism as a positive. Shouldn’t alarm bells be ringing in the mainstream media?

 Well, the alarm bells aren’t ringing for a good reason. The mainstream media is made up of radical, extreme, progressive leftists who also see socialism as a positive. Want proof? Let’s head back to my Columbia University days. You know, the same place where my classmate Barack Obama was indoctrinated…oops, I mean educated…in the philosophy of radical socialism.

 Something extraordinary happened on March 30, 1981 at Columbia University. I was sitting in the biggest political science class at Columbia University. Perhaps 200 or more students in a theatre in the round. If Obama was attending Columbia at the time, as he claims, and he was a Political Science major, as he claims, he would almost certainly have been in this class.

 On this date in history my hero Ronald Reagan was shot. The reaction in that large political science class that day tells you all you need to know about the media. Because all these years later, when I read Columbia College Today magazine, with updates on my classmates’ careers, it is extraordinary how many of them are now leading members of the mainstream media.

 As I sat in class that day listening to the professor lecture, a strange loud noise came from the back of the room. The entire class turned around. The doors in back burst open and a breathless student ran in and screamed, “They just shot Reagan. President Reagan has been assassinated.” Can you imagine what the response was at that moment of horror from the future leading members of America’s media? Take a wild guess.

 A standing ovation. Wild celebration. High fives. Cheering. Fists pounding the air. My classmates were jumping up and down and hugging each other like they had just won the lottery. It was the happiest day of their lives! And I can’t forget the words wafting through the air in the midst of this celebration, “YES, they killed that bastard Reagan!”

 Reagan was my hero. He felt like a second father to me. I got sick to my stomach and ran out of the class. I raced into the bathroom and vomited, then sat on the bathroom floor with tears streaming down my face. I thought my hero President Reagan was dead. Worse, I realized my ultra-liberal classmates were not just your run-of-the-mill leftists. They were socialists and Marxists who openly hated America, despised capitalism, and were cheering for the death of a man simply because he was a conservative and capitalist. I was dazed, disgusted and disillusioned.

 Please keep in mind that many of these same men and women now run the American media. They are at the very top of many of the most important television news shows and news organizations. And they proved that day (and throughout my 4 years at Columbia) that at their core they despise conservatives, conservatism, patriotism, and the exceptionalism of America.

 This is the same media expected to give a “fair shake” to a conservative Presidential candidate like Mitt, Newt or Ron Paul? Not a chance.

 Now you know why the media is so desperate and obsessed with digging up dirt on Newt’s ex-wives, Mitt’s old taxes, or Ron Paul’s 20-year-old newsletters. But this same media seems to have no interest in digging up Obama’s mysterious and questionable past. They sit across from Obama, tingling, lobbing softball questions, while gazing into their fellow socialist’s eyes. Now it all makes sense. Now the pieces of the puzzle fit.

 The sudden turnaround in South Carolina after a media “hit piece” on Newt is the first sign that the American people are finally starting to understand how biased the media really is.

 Now you know why the mainstream media had their teeth kicked in on Saturday in South Carolina.

 And…they deserved it.

 Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian VP nominee and the author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian.” He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Campaign Committee. He’s a regular guest on Fox News and hundreds of television and radio shows across America.  His syndicated column has appeared on Newsmax and Forbes.

He’s also a gun-slinging, riverboat gambling, entrepreneur and capitalist evangelist. His web site: www.ROOTforAmerica.com

Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry need a lesson in capitalism from my father. Their attacks on Mitt Romney this week are not just disgusting and insulting, they are ignorant. They’ve ruined their Presidential ambitions and damaged their credibility as conservatives.

I’d expect that kind of talk from a socialist like President Obama and his Democratic friends in Congress. Democrat politicians hate businessmen. They’ve never run a business or created a job, so business is like a foreign language to them. Most of them are jealous of anyone who knows how to make money, because they don’t know how. And because successful businessmen rarely support Democrats with contributions, politicians like Obama see them as the political enemy- a target to be demonized, punished and bled dry, so their money can be redistributed to buy more Democratic voters.

So we expect this kind of anti-business rhetoric and class warfare out of Democrats. But Newt and Rick? Now Republicans are turning on capitalism too? The answer here is obvious- big government politicians don’t have a clue about how business, the private sector, or capitalism works. It doesn’t matter which party they are from. Newt and Rick have been in government their entire lives. Their world view because of that turns out to be very similar to Obama.

Towards the end of the article, Root explains that while he is defending Romney from attacks on his private sector record by Gingich and Perry, that does not mean he is supporting Romney’s campaign:

As a Libertarian-conservative, I’m not a big fan or supporter of Mitt Romney. I find him to be a big government wishy-washy, liberal Northeastern Republican. Not my type. But as a capitalist evangelist, and passionate fan of free markets, I certainly defend Romney’s business career. We need a President who will take a business-like approach to government. We need someone who understands how to cut a budget, downsize under-performing assets, kill off entire departments, and fire unnecessary employees.

Also still posted at LP blog is last week’s Monday Message from LPHQ Executive Director Carla Howell, Mitt Romney = Big Government, previously posted at IPR here.

In 2010, Libertarians made decisions.

Root and Starr were overwhelmingly rejected by our National Convention. Now the LNC has given them their own National Committee, one that legally has all the powers of the real National Committee, and no need for either of them to face election by the Libertarian Party’s membership.

IPR notes:

George Phillies ran for LNC national chair in 2010 against Mark Hinkle, Wayne Root, John Jay Myers and Ernie Hancock. The results of that election are here. Phillies comments regularly at IPR, as does Wayne Root, and Aaron Starr is an article writer for IPR as well.

Phillies has also run for chair several other times, and both Root and Phillies ran for the Libertarian presidential nomination in 2008.

IPR welcomes opinions on different sides of this issue, both in the comment section of this article as well as articles submitted for publication if anyone wishes to submit any.

Las Vegas, Nevada–January 12, 2012– Former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee, best-selling author, and national media personality Wayne Allyn Root just announced a weekly column at Forbes.com titled “CAPITALIST EVANGELIST.”

Now Wayne has another high-profile deal to announce. Wayne has agreed to become a video columnist and commentator for the Personal Liberty Media Group.

PersonalLiberty.com was founded in 2008 and has quickly become one of the most popular eNewsletters in America, reaching over 825,000 readers daily.

The PersonalLiberty web site was ranked #8 on the list of Top 50 Libertarian web sites worldwide by Alexa in 2011, according to a 3-month average of Alexa worldwide traffic. Wayne will provide his exclusive weekly “Root Rant” VIDEO commentaries to the Personal Liberty Digest eNewsletter and PersonalLiberty.com each week, as well as print commentaries.

This is the greatest country in the history of the world because regardless of race, sex, religion, or humble beginnings anything is possible. I am living proof.

The foundation of our greatness is our unique relationship with God, faith and prayer. Whether we are Jews, Christians, or any other religion, together we are Americans. No country has ever based its very being as deeply on faith and God’s blessings, nor guaranteed its citizens such freedom of religion as America. The result has been the most blessed and successful country in world history.

A few days ago when I heard that a prominent Jewish Rabbi had written a commentary criticizing Tim Tebow and worrying about the effect Tebow’s success as a devout Christian and NFL superstar would have on diversity and religious tolerance in America, I was shocked, disgusted, and disappointed. The Rabbi’s comments were callous, ignorant, and offensive, and coming from a place of fear, anger, weakness, jealousy, and envy.

Tim Tebow’s remarkable, magical, extraordinary success as an NFL quarterback isn’t just about sports, or his deep faith in Jesus Christ. It’s about leadership. It’s about sportsmanship. It’s about morality. It’s about a foundation of incredible work ethic. It’s about, finally having a superstar athlete who is truly a role model. Tim Tebow should be everyone’s All American. He is the kind of man every American- of any religion- should be proud of.

Tim Tebow is a symbol of the role faith plays in our country. Our laws, national anthem, pledge of allegiance, and currency are all based on a faith in God. Our sovereignty was won- against insurmountable odds- based on our political leaders’, military leaders’, and citizen soldiers’ faith in God and divine providence.

Study after study proves that the root of success for virtually every CEO of every major corporation in America is a deep faith in God and religion. Tim Tebow is just another in a long line of remarkable Americans who have chosen God as their foundation.

Yet America is unique because there is no state-sponsored religion. We celebrate all religions, but, above all else, freedom of religion. America and its majority Christian population, welcomes, supports, and celebrates Jews and Israel. Jews are able to thrive in America because of the love and acceptance of the Tim Tebow’s of this country.

The rabbi expressed concern that Tebow’s success might inspire Christians to feel superior to other religions. How short-sighted. Tebow is doing just the opposite. He is bringing Americans together. He is not inspiring Christians, he is inspiring all Americans. He is proving that with hard work and the right goals, anything is possible. He is making it clear that you can love your God, your family, make moral choices, and still succeed in the rough and tumble real world.

I am a Jew turned born-again Christian. I married into a family of devout Christian ministers and missionaries. My wife Debra and I have been happily married for over 20 years. We have 4 beautiful children ranging in age from 3 to 19. All four have been raised as both Jewish and Christian. All four have been raised to celebrate both Christmas and Hanukah. My oldest child Dakota, now a scholar/athlete at Harvard, attended church throughout her youth, and was also Bat Mitzvah. She leaves the day after Christmas for her birthright trip to Israel. It is the honor of her lifetime.

That rabbi has nothing to fear from Tim Tebow or Christianity. I am today a proud Jew and Christian. Like most Americans I love God, country, apple pie, motherhood, the NFL, and Tim Tebow. Devout Christians in America love Jews and have become Israel’s strongest supporters. My inlaws love to say “the closest we’ll ever get to Jesus Christ is to have you as our son-in-law. Afterall Christ was a Jew.”

I don’t know Tim Tebow personally, but I’m willing to bet that he has already forgiven that rabbi. I’m willing to bet that Tebow is a strong supporter of Israel. Ironically, devout evangelical Christians are far stronger supporters of Israel than liberal “reformed Jews” like this rabbi (who made politically liberal comments in the same commentary). Maybe this rabbi could learn a thing or two from Tebow.

I think every American- including rabbis- should celebrate the values of Tim Tebow.
Yes, Tim Tebow’s success is remarkable- almost miraculous (now if he had beaten the New England Patriots on Sunday, that would have been miraculous). Tebow is beating the odds, while at the same time managing to put God and his faith first. He is proving that you can be religious, faithful, moral, righteous, and a successful super-achiever. When one thinks of the long list of criminal charges against athletes today, there is much more to love and admire about Tebow, than to criticize and denigrate.

Tebow is about all that is right with America. Tebow has come along at just the right time to make us smile and cheer during a rough stretch. To give us a boost of confidence and can-do American spirit. To show us that we are capable of anything. Tebow brings Jews, Christians and all Americans together. We are a country that rises above divisions. We are Americans.

I am a Jew for Tebow.
 
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. He now serves as Chair of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He’s a best-selling author and recently wrote the book: “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution

President Obama’s math skills leave something to be desired. As a matter of fact, based on Mr. Obama’s recent interview on “60 Minutes,” the president deserves a grade of F in math. When confronted by the reporter with the reality that his economic stimulus package failed, he decided to lie to the American people. He said his stimulus had indeed worked just fine. As a matter of fact, according to Mr. Obama, it created 3 million jobs.

Let’s ignore the fact that this is a lie that would make Pinocchio blush. Let’s ignore the fact that Mr. Obama’s job-creation experience before he took residence in the White House wouldn’t qualify him to run a bodega. Let’s ignore the fact that “I created 3 million jobs” is the new version of the famous presidential lie “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Let’s actually give the president the benefit of the doubt.

First, we know that since Mr. Obama’s stimulus started, America has lost about 2 million jobs. So for Mr. Obama to tell the “technical” truth, it must be accurate that 3 million new jobs were created while 5 million jobs were lost, for a net loss of 2 million jobs. Technically, Mr. Obama could be telling the truth – the kind of truth only told by lawyers. Interestingly, he mentioned the 3 million jobs created but failed to mention the 5 million lost. I guess that, like former Democratic President Bill Clinton, this president (also a lawyer) isn’t quite sure of the meaning of the word “is.”

Second, this awful math sounds remarkably similar to the math of leftist environmentalist politicians in Spain. Millions of “green jobs” have been created in Spain, the environmentalists claim. Yet unemployment in Spain is above 20 percent. A recent study unearthed the reason for this disparity. It proved that for every green job created, three regular jobs in the traditional economy were lost. You gotta love the “new math” devised by Kool-Aid-drinking liberals the world over, huh?

Third, let’s assume Mr. Obama is 100 percent correct in his belief that his masterful economic plan created 3 million jobs. We know that his stimulus package spent about $750 billion of taxpayer money. Let’s do the simple math. Three million jobs divided into $750 billion equals a cost of about $250,000 per job. While Franklin D. Roosevelt created the New Deal, Mr. Obama has created a really Bad Deal. Spending $250,000 per job is the worst deal in taxpayer history. And that’s only if you believe 3 million jobs were actually created. They weren’t.

Here are some more common-sense questions. Wouldn’t Mr. Obama have been better off directly handing out $100,000 cash to 7.5 million Americans? That adds up to the same $750 billion. How about $50,000 cash handed directly to 15 million Americans? Or $25,000 cash handed directly to 30 million Americans? Or how about handing out $10,000 each to 75 million Americans? Wouldn’t handing out checks directly to American families have pumped up the economy far faster and far more efficiently than a $750 billion stimulus?

One thing is for sure: We couldn’t have done worse.

Or better yet, how about if Mr. Obama had never spent the $750 billion in the first place but instead had paid down our $1.5 trillion deficit and $100 trillion national debt (including unfunded liabilities). Wouldn’t that have been a wonderful Christmas gift for our children and grandchildren?

Instead, we wasted $750 billion on nothing – and added almost $1 trillion in debt to the tab for future generations. And as a “reward” for all that waste, we lost almost 2 million jobs.

No wonder our public education system is such a mess. No wonder our children are failing so badly. This new math that Mr. Obama practices is a killer – a jobs killer.

Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian vice-presidential nominee and is author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution With God, Guns, Gold, Gambling & Tax Cuts” (Wiley, 2009). He writes at RootforAmerica.com

•  ”Bill Cunningham Show” on Premiere Radio Network
• Nationally syndicated [NS] “Big Biz Show“
• “Captains America” Show [NS]
• “Rita Cosby Show” [NS]
• Bob “Sully” Sullivan on KOGO San Diego
• “The Washington Times Radio Show” in D.C.

• Washington Times
• Newsmax
• Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze
• Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment

Watch Wayne’s Video: “I AM THE 1%”:

Wayne Root Video: I Am the One Percent!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59etJA2agrM

The fake story meant to deceive you is that the 1% is Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Warren Buffett, Senator John Kerry, or Arianna Huffington. Gates was born to a family that owned the biggest bank in the Northwest. Trump was born to a billionaire father, the largest landlord in Brooklyn and Queens. Buffett’s father was a well-connected Congressman. Arianna Huffington and John Kerry married into fortunes. They aren’t the 1%. They’re the lucky sperm club.

99% of the 1% are just like me- small businessmen and women who started from humble origins and earned their money the old fashioned way. Our “overnight success” came from 25 years of hard work, risking everything, and overcoming failure. Many of us are struggling, but will forever keep striving for the American Dream.

I am sick of being denigrated and misrepresented by the media and leftist politicians who are purposely misleading the public about the 1%. 

I am sick of Obama targeting, vilifying, demonizing, and punishing us for our success. I am sick of the class warfare, jealousy, and envy that Obama’s socialist cabal tries to foment among the masses. The public has been told lies about the 1%.

My story is the story of 99% of the 1%. I am a small businessman. I work 16-hour days, mornings, nights, weekends, holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. I have no guaranteed job for life, nor any pension. I have no rich daddy or sugar daddy.

I don’t own a yacht. I have no private jet. I don’t have millions in an offshore trust. I don’t have one dollar offshore. Unfortunately, I don’t have $100 million here in America either. I am not connected, work like a dog, and fought like a cornered wolverine for everything I’ve ever achieved. No one has ever given me anything. I’ve earned it.

I don’t run a bank and have never been friends with a bank President. My buddies don’t run giant multi-national corporations. My friends don’t control the White House, Congress or the Fed. My friends are small business owners just like me. They are the 1%.

Along the way I’ve created many jobs, helping others live the American Dream too. I’ve made countless payrolls, and paid for other people’s health insurance. I’ve also failed countless times, wiping out my savings. But I never complained, blamed anyone but myself, and never asked for a bailout. Is this the story the media tells you about the 1%? Funny, I’ve never heard it.

My butcher father taught me to ask for nothing from government. I believe in self-reliance and personal responsibility. I’ve never collected a check from government in my life- other than a student loan. And I paid that back in full, with interest. I want and expect nothing from government. And in return, I just want government to get out of my way, and stop stealing (Obama calls it “redistributing”) so much of the money I’ve earned.

I became a self-made millionaire by the age of 30 by working grueling hours, being relentless, and risking my own money. My success was earned with blood, sweat, and tears. I’ve missed far too many cherished family moments with my four children. I rarely get a chance to watch TV. I live on a world-class golf course, but I’ve never played golf once in the ten years I’ve lived here. Should I be demonized and punished for my sacrifice and work ethic?

My butcher father taught me to out-work, out-smart, and out-hustle my competition. He taught me to study hard when others are partying. He taught me to stay away from drugs, and alcohol. He taught me that nothing good ever happens after Midnight. His dream was that I be accepted at Columbia University, where he wished he could have gone.

So I studied. I sacrificed. I got Straight A’s. I graduated Valedictorian of my high school. I was accepted at Columbia University (as was my sister). I earned Deans List honors. Should I now be punished for doing everything right, by others who chose to party when I was studying?

My butcher father was right. So I listened some more. He told me you had to risk your own money and start your own business to achieve the American Dream. So I became a risk-taking entrepreneur. After enduring several devastating failures, I became a business owner, television anchor and host, Las Vegas oddsmaker with my own star in the Las Vegas Walk of Stars, and eventually the 2008 Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. As Don King says, “Only in America.

Is this the story of the 1% you hear in the media? Is this the narrative you hear from Obama?

I’m just one of millions of small business owners in the 1% who strive every day to achieve the American Dream through discipline, unmatched work ethic, sacrifice, and personal financial risk. Are you aware that the standard Small Business Administration loan is personally guaranteed? How many bank, automotive, or green energy executives personally guaranteed their government loans? Zero.

We have earned our success. Shouldn’t those who create jobs, pay the taxes that pay for the roads, schools, entitlements, and the bills of government be celebrated as heroes and role models? Last I checked you don’t demonize, denigrate or punish heroes, do you?

We are the true 1%.
 
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is the best-selling author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts.” His web site: www.ROOTforAmerica.com

The congressional supercommittee tasked with cutting the debt is almost out of time. Good. Run out the clock. If its members do not come to an agreement, we’ll be forced to accept automatic across-the-board cuts to spending – including defense spending. That’s exactly what America needs.

But our GOP friends, the ones who supposedly are defending capitalism from President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, are scared. They are shaking in their boots at the reality of across-the-board spending cuts. Despite all their bold talk about cutting spending, they lack the courage actually to do it.

Instead of running out the clock until we get those needed spending cuts, the Republicans made an offer to Democrats that doubled down on every mistake ever made by naive small-government negotiators. They offered to sell out every small-business owner, homeowner and GOP contributor in America. They agreed with Mr. Obama’s philosophy of punishing successful Americans for their hard work, sacrifice and financial risk-taking.

Supercommittee Republicans offered a deal to Democrats that includes almost equal dollars of spending cuts and tax increases. Guess where all the tax increases are aimed? At wealthy taxpayers. Even as GOP presidential contenders make dubious promises to our faces during televised debates, all agreeing they would not accept a deal of even 10-to-1 spending cuts to tax increases, GOP supercommittee members are attempting to sell out the entire conservative base for much, much less.

That is the reason I left the GOP during the Bush reign. Too many Republicans talk a good Tea Party game about smaller government, tax cuts and spending cuts, but as far as actually carrying it out? Not so much. Here is their chance to force automatic spending cuts across the board, but they can’t do it.

How quickly they forget history. Ronald Reagan is the all-time GOP hero. Yet even he fell victim to Democrats’ lies about spending cuts. Reagan raised taxes in return for vague promises of future spending cuts, then got nothing in return. There were no cuts in spending, only massive increases. Worse, Democrats use Reagan’s deal to malign him forever and paint him as a “tax raiser.” George H. W. Bush followed Reagan and made the exact same deal – and he was destroyed for it. He raised taxes in return for spending cuts that never happened. Once again, he was painted as a “tax raiser.” No conservative can ever win by raising taxes.

It is hard to understand how any Republican wouldn’t grasp this. Do Republicans not realize that their only edge for winning next November is to stand firm against any tax increases? Do they not realize that the “enthusiasm gap” in favor of Republicans is as large as the Grand Canyon? Why? Because of the Tea Party and the excitement of conservative anti-tax activists. If the GOP members of the supercommittee vote not only for “revenue increases” but for increases designed as punishment for wealthy taxpayers, the enthusiasm gap is gone. They’ve signed on to Mr. Obama’s philosophy with this deal. The difference between Republicans and Democrats is nullified. That is how you lose “can’t lose” elections.

Any loss of deductions is, in effect, a tax increase. It’s like Bill Clinton debating over the meaning of the word “is.” If you take away our deductions, you are dramatically raising our taxes. Take away the home-mortgage interest deduction, and you are condemning millions of small-business owners to losing their already underwater homes. The GOP will deliver the final blow to the housing market with an instant decline in real estate prices. By taking away our charitable deductions, you are damaging charities and churches beyond repair. By limiting the deductions of upper-income taxpayers, you are punishing your own supporters and contributors – exactly what Mr. Obama wants you to do.

Republicans will say they are limiting deductions in return for a flatter tax rate. Really? The last time I checked, the most successful economy in the world, Hong Kong, had a 16 percent flat rate that included deductions for mortgage interest and charity. Does the GOP think it’s a great deal to lower rates to 28 percent (almost double Hong Kong’s) but give away most deductions?

What gives the GOP a right to do that? Has there been a national debate or discussion about this offer?

Have you thought about the implications of this deal? First, you will lose millions of votes from homeowners, churchgoers and small-business owners crushed and angry at your betrayal. Second, you’re playing on Mr. Obama’s field. Why is the cut aimed only at successful taxpayers – those who already pay almost all the taxes and bear almost all the burden? When you agree to aim limitations and punishment only at successful Americans, aren’t you a socialist, just like Mr. Obama? Third, this deal is Mr. Obama’s dream. Eliminate deductions forever, and eventually Democrats will raise rates right back up – but this time, with no protections for the business owners and job creators.

Here’s my message, from a Tea Party American and small-business job creator: Kill the deal. Run out the clock. Force the automatic spending cuts across the board. Or face the mutiny of your own strongest supporters and contributors. Standing tall against any tax increase is the only choice you have. Compromising with Mr. Obama to wreck the finances of your own supporters is only going to get you defeated, just like George H.W. Bush.

Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian vice-presidential nominee and is chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution With God, Guns, Gold, Gambling & Tax Cuts” (Wiley, 2009). He writes at RootforAmerica.com.

Wayne Allyn Root has been a very effective spokesperson for liberty. Not perfect, but a much better communicator than most libertarians. That is perhaps both his strength and his weakness.

At heart, Root’s a salesman. Nothing wrong with that. So am I (and I’m FAR less effective than he is).

But I’m afraid that his bottom line is selling dubious products to “fellow travelers” in the liberty movement (see below). It’s called “affinity selling,” common in belief groups — religious or not.

Such seems to be the case below. He’s hustling what appears to be an MLM program — multi-level marketing. You go to the website, and you get a lot of hype and endorsements, but no substance as to what the program is. For that, doubtless you have to sit through a presentation. Bad sign.

For 20 years I was a CFP financial planner. I worked on commission. I sold good products and bad. While overall I did pretty well for my clients, I made just about every investment mistake there is at one time or another — except pyramid schemes.

I also got to review many investment and business propositions brought to me by clients. I can see, feel, taste and smell a hustle.

Indeed, I contacted the SD COUNTY DA on the infamous local J. David Dominelli commodity pyramid scheme 18 months before it collapsed (the DA did nothing despite two letters I sent detailing my concerns).

Some MLM’s are just harmless pyramid marketing schemes without much front money (think Amway) — others are terrible frauds. Can’t say which one this is, but I’d bet dollars to donuts it is one or the other.

One important aspect of such programs is that the salespeople have to BELIEVE in the program. It’s almost a religion. Few (generally found at the top of the pyramid) are actual con men, hucksters who understand the game.

I suspect that Root is a believer. I KNOW he’s be a passionate and effective sales person for the deal.

I caution Libertarians to be skeptical. Indeed, skepticism is a trait that we have in abundance — except perhaps when we trust the messenger.

Trust NO ONE in investments — and especially in MLM. Think Bernie Madoff — a superb con man who successfully worked his belief group — Jews. Similar con man Ponzi hustles are particularly common among Mormons and Baptists.

Let’s be VERY careful out there.

Watch this special video here

This was sent to me in a group e-mail from Richard Rider, who is known as a crusader against taxes from San Diego, CA.  I don’t know what prompted this mailing.

Newsmax.com Feature Article
We’re all in trouble when the joke is on our most connected politicians. Jon Corzine is the former CEO of Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs. Even God shudders when the CEO of Goldman walks in the room (or so Goldman executives think). Corzine left Goldman with a half billion-dollar fortune and became a United States Senator. Soon he was a Governor of New Jersey. His friends are the most powerful people on Wall Street and in Washington D.C. Only months ago he was a strong bet to be appointed to a major position in the Obama administration. He is the type of guy the media calls “the smartest guy in the room.”

But obviously brains and connections aren’t enough to prevent a bankruptcy. Corzine just presided over one of the biggest disasters in Wall Street history. Corzine just resigned as Chairman and CEO of MF Global, one of the most powerful Wall Street bond and futures trading firms. MF Global just filed for bankruptcy. Billions have been lost, hundreds of millions are missing, over 1700 employees just received pink slips, and Corzine has hired a criminal defense lawyer.

Corzine, for all his brains and connections, didn’t get the joke. God blessed Jon Corzine with everything- except common sense. He is emblematic of why our economy is collapsing. The joke is on the brightest guys in the room.

These liberal Ivy League “masters of the universe” are actually delusional. For all their smarts, many of them can’t see the blinking red danger signal right in front of them. They think government spending is the way to get out of a debt crisis. They think government creates jobs. They think government can protect us all from cradle to grave. They think $100 trillion in debt and unfunded liabilities is no big deal. They obviously think ponzi schemes last forever.

Leftist politicians like Corzine live in a delusional dream world where money grows on trees and pigs can fly. The Corzine scandal proves that their views are a danger to all of us. Jon Corzine is the poster boy for how our entire country has been led down the road towards insolvency and bankruptcy.

MF Global was destroyed because Corzine decided to invest billions in European sovereign debt. Oh my gosh. You cannot be serious? I’m just a small businessman and home-school dad, but I’ve been publicly warning for 3 years now that the EU is facing financial disaster. Even I knew that Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Ireland were completely insolvent (with France and UK are not far behind). The entire European economic system is crumbling under the weight of massive debt and socialist entitlement programs. It’s pretty simple, if you have common sense- you can’t give everyone a government job, promising early retirement, huge pensions, and free healthcare for the rest of their lives. Eventually if you give everyone a huge pension for 30 (or more) years of not working, your economy collapses under the debt. Eventually if you punish the rich for their hard work, discipline and financial risk-taking, the job creators and taxpayers will revolt and leave. That leaves you with gigantic bills, but not enough bill payers.

Anyone could see that. Anyone except leftist, politically-correct politicians like Jon Corzine. Silly me- I actually thought that deep down the Obamas, Pelosis and Corzines knew that what they are peddling was a toxic ponzi scheme. I actually thought the connected smart guys were in on the joke. I thought they understood that robbing Peter to pay Paul is a successful campaign strategy…it buys the votes to get you elected…but it eventually bankrupts the country. I actually thought they understood deep down that you can’t solve a debt crisis with more debt. That you can’t solve a sinking dollar crisis by printing more fake money. That if you target, blame, demonize, and tax the rich for everything, you eventually run out of rich people. I was wrong.

The Corzine scandal proves the leftists running our country actually believe their own lies. They are blind, deaf, and really, really dumb. Corzine the politician made big bets on debt. He spent New Jersey into insolvency- with among the highest debt, unsustainable future pension obligations, and property taxes in America. He did all that to bribe the typical Democrat voter and get elected. But I never imagined he actually believed in debt as a good investment.

Like Obama, Corzine obviously talked himself into believing that a ponzi scheme can go on forever. He actually thought he could invest profitably in the toxic debt of EU countries. He didn’t know that Greece and Italy are walking corpses? Billions of investor dollars were lost, and a giant global Wall Street powerhouse was destroyed because the ultimate Wall Street insider was the only guy who didn’t get the joke. A debt crisis cannot be solved with more spending. And a ponzi scheme does not last forever.

The Corzine saga proves politicians on the left are delusional. They cannot be trusted with taxpayer money. They are perpetrating the biggest ponzi scheme in world history with U.S. taxpayer’s money. It’s a deadly game. And as Corzine’s investors and partners at MF Global found out, it will blow up and destroy us all.

The moral to the story? Corzine ran MF Global the exact same way he ran New Jersey. The exact same way Obama is running the country. Eventually it will all end the exact same way.

Newsmax Feature Article
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is the best-selling author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts.” His web site: www.ROOTforAmerica.com

By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee
As I write this commentary, Joe Paterno has been fired as Penn State football coach — effective immediately. Thousands of Penn State college students are in the streets, angry, sad, disillusioned, emotionally wrecked, overturning cars, and chanting Joe Paterno’s name. The riot police are in place to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. Those aren’t hoodlums with no hope and no future. They are educated, middle class, salt-of-the-earth Pennsylvania college kids attending a well-respected university. What is wrong with this picture? What does it say about America?

Let’s start with the obvious. Why aren’t those educated college kids out protesting on behalf of the little boys who were allegedly sexually assaulted by a longtime Penn State assistant coach? Has America so lost its compass? These kids are in love with a coach because…he’s a celebrity. Because he wins football games. Because he wins football games all else is forgiven. We are lucky this isn’t Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton involved in child rape. We’d almost certainly witness mobs burn Los Angeles to the ground to show their support for their favorite celeb-turned-child-rapist. A sad commentary on all that is wrong with America.

Then there’s the actual conduct of Coach Joe Paterno. Here is a good moral man who has spent a lifetime molding the lives of young men at Penn State. Yet back in 2002 he heard from a graduate assistant that his longtime assistant coach was having sex in the shower with a 10 year old boy. Paterno reported the incident to his superiors, then never mentioned it again. How strange is that? He never thought to protect the 10-year old boy? He obviously never cared that the boy’s life (or certainly mental state) might be in danger. He obviously never thought to find out who the boy was and talk to him. He ever even considered that stopping this sexual deviant might possibly save other boys. He never thought to confront his friend of 30 years and ask him what happened. He never bothered to follow up with his superiors to ask about the young boys. Obviously he was busy with football.

How could this happen in my America? Is winning football games now more important than a 10-year old boy’s safety? Protecting a respected institution is obviously more important than stopping a child rapist. Bureaucracy and loyalty obviously dull the senses of important people. Educated responsible administrators with 6-figure and 7-figure salaries made the same decision to cover-up a heinous crime as priests and bishops and cardinals for the Catholic Church. In each case, none of these grown men stopped to consider “what if that was my little boy in the shower with that 60-year-old pervert?” The decision was made by respected people in authority at both respected institutions that the reputation of their employer was worth more than a little boy’s innocence. No one stopped to consider that these abused boys might someday commit suicide from the shame of what was done to them. It is hard to believe the lack of judgement. It is even harder to believe the world really is that selfish, thoughtless, and uncaring.

Keep in mind a key fact as we all judge Joe Paterno. The coach/pervert/rapist in question had an office in the Penn State football complex since his retirement in 1999. This incident took place in 2002. So Coach Paterno was told a man with an office in his building was using the football locker room to sexually assault little boys. And for the next 10 years he let the rapist/pervert keep his office in the building. For the next 10 years he let the man continue to conduct business in his office down the hall. He walked by his friend’s office and never thought to confront him about the incident. He walked by that office and never thought about the little boys. He walked by that office and never once thought to follow up with his superiors. All hard to even conceive.

And the students of Penn State think this is a role model? They want to waste their precious time protesting, chanting Paterno’s name, rioting, and destroying property in the name of a man who never thought to protect little boys being abused, molested and raped in his football facility. There is something very wrong, something very rancid in America in 2011.

By the way, would anyone be protesting, crying, chanting, or rioting in the name of a losing football coach? So this is clearly about winning. If you win enough football games, anything goes in America today. Even the cover-up of child rape is acceptable to those students at Penn State. These student protestors are educated, salt-of-the-earth, middle class Pennsylvania kids with the values of a prison chain gang. They learned their values and morals where exactly- MTV? Beavis & Butthead? The Kardashians? Watching Internet porn? It’s all frightening and a sign of the rapid decline of America.

Lastly, I’m betting none of those kids either knows of, or cares, about the important news of the day — Italy joining Greece on the verge of complete economic Armageddon. Or how about the impending collapse of the entire European Union due to perhaps the worst financial crisis in world history. All of which caused an almost 400 point drop on Wall Street. Some believe we now face the very real prospect of a Great Depression II, food lines, tent cities, and a crisis no college student alive today has ever imagined. Their future upon graduation from Penn State may have just taken a turn from dismal to bleak.

But hey…why should that matter. Those students have more important things to worry about: Penn State has a football game against Nebraska on Saturday. This is the bread-and-circus generation that expects government to take care of them from cradle to grave. Now we all understand why.

Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian vice presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is the best-selling author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts.” His web site:www.ROOTforAmerica.com

Remember “Seinfeld”? It was one of the most successful TV series in the history of American television. The show revolved around Jerry Seinfeld and his buddy George Costanza. George was the ultimate loser. Everything he did was a colossal failure. One day that all changed. George was hired by George Steinbrenner and the world champion New York Yankees. He had hit the lottery – overnight he had an important executive job, big salary and beautiful women.

Seinfeld was in shock. He asked, “George, how did you do it?” “Simple,” George said, “One day I woke up and realized I was the world’s biggest loser. So I decided to do the opposite of everything I’ve ever done – every thought, opinion, decision. Now I just do the opposite. And suddenly, I’m a winner!”

We must follow the same strategy with President Obama. His agenda of big government, big spending, big unions and big debt is driving the American economy to never-before-imagined levels of economic disaster, unemployment, real-estate collapse and small-business failure.

Various liberal, progressive, socialist and Marxist supporters of Mr. Obama ask, “But what would you do differently if you were president?” The answer is simple: It’s the Seinfeld solution. Mr. Obama is a real-life George Costanza. Every decision he makes poisons the U.S. economy and kills jobs. The solution to saving America is whatever Mr. Obama does, do the opposite.

Let’s go down the list:

Mr. Obama spent almost $1 trillion on a failed stimulus and billions more on bailouts of his union buddies at General Motors and Chrysler. Today we have about 2 million fewer jobs than the day Mr. Obama’s stimulus began. We should ban stimulus measures and bailouts. They are nothing more than pork barrel spending to buy votes and reward political class cronies.

Mr. Obama spends his entire working day targeting, demonizing and punishing “the rich.” In a Chicago-style mafia shakedown, he is placing most of the tax burden on small-business owners, who vote overwhelmingly conservative. We should do the opposite. Taxpayers and small-business owners are the heroes of our economy. They create most of the jobs and pay most of the taxes. We should reward and incentivize the taxpayers and job creators with a one-year income tax vacation. The cost would be about the same as Mr. Obama’s failed stimulus fiasco and would turn this economic Armageddon into one of the great economic booms in world history. It would be Ronald Reagan’s tax cuts on steroids.

Mr. Obama has named czars to oversee every aspect of American’s personal and business lives. Instead, we should fire them all and ban the word “czar” forever.

Mr. Obama has dramatically increased the size, scope, power and spending of government, including his Obamacare and financial reform bills. Instead, we should repeal them both and do the opposite: dramatically decrease the size of government and remove regulations that impede job creation.

Mr. Obama wants to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to keep 21 million government employees safely in their jobs. Instead, we should cut overpaid government bureaucrats, cut out entire bloated departments and agencies, freeze all salaries and cut the obscene pensions of government employees that are bankrupting America.

Mr. Obama doesn’t believe in “states’ rights,” ordering the U.S. government to sue the state of Arizona. Instead we should end the lawsuit, secure the borders, enforce immigration law, cut off all entitlements to anyone in the country illegally and respect states’ rights, just as the Constitution demands.

Mr. Obama supports the Federal Reserve and asks the Fed to print ever-more money, devaluing our currency and stealing every American’s savings. Instead, we should audit the Fed and make it transparent and accountable to the people, with an eye toward eliminating it as soon as possible.

Mr. Obama responded to the Gulf oil disaster with an oil-drilling moratorium costing thousands of jobs. The president’s tragic solution makes America more dependent on foreign oil. Instead, we should do the opposite, by encouraging more offshore drilling and reducing regulations so we can produce more domestic energy.

Mr. Obama is adding 18,000 new Internal Revenue Service agents with the implementation of Obamacare. Instead, we should aim to eliminate the IRS and streamline bureaucracy for small business.

Mr. Obama has treated friends such as Israel harshly, while treating evil rulers in Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba and Venezuela, who support terrorism, with kid gloves, even bowing down to some. Instead, we should treat friends with respect and not give our enemies the time of day. We should also do what should have been done decades ago: Eliminate foreign aid to despots and adversaries of America across the globe.

Mr. Obama is best buddies with career politicians such as Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Charlie Rangel and Barney Frank. We should support term limits and throw all the bums out of Washington. It’s time to start over.

Finally, Mr. Obama has continually violated the Constitution, highlighted by his hate for guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens. We should respect and follow the Constitution, the greatest document ever created.

Barack Obama is our very own George Costanza, the lovable loser of Seinfeld fame – except that Mr. Obama is a Marxist and he’s not lovable. He is leading America toward tragedy, insolvency and bankruptcy. The answer to saving America is clear: Do the opposite of everything Mr. Obama does.

Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian vice presidential nominee and is chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold, Gambling & Tax Cuts” (Wiley, 2009). He writes at RootforAmerica.com

Wayne Allyn Root is a politician, entrepreneur, television and radio personality, author and a well known political commentator. He was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. Today is Chairman of the Libertarian National Campaign Committee. Root is a frequent guest on FOX News and many nationally syndicated radio shows such as The Bill Cunningham Show, Savage Nation, The Jerry Doyle Show, The Big Biz Show with Russ & Sully, The G. Gordon Liddy Show, and Mancow’s Morning Madhouse. His political commentaries appear frequently in the Washington Times, as well as at conservative web sites such as Newsmax.com, TheBlaze.com, DailyCaller.com, and BigGovernment.com. He is the author of 7 books, including “The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts!” He is currently writing his latest book, “Home-school to Harvard.” Root has been married to Debra, a former MissOklahoma, for 20 years. They have 4 children- Dakota, 19 (a sophomore at Harvard), Hudson, 11, Remington Reagan, 7, and Contessa, 3. Root graduated from Columbia Universityin 1983 as a Political Science major and Pre Law studies (in the same class as President Barack Obama).

Interview by Stephen Thompson, Ph.D.

Welcome to OpenBeast. Describe yourself with three adjectives?

Tenacious, Relentless, Enthusiastic.

My entire life and career success have been created by my enthusiasm and passion for the things I care about- family, faith, fitness, football, business, capitalism, and politics. I’m an EVANGELIST. And my #1 attributes – being tenacious and RELENTLESS. I’m like a Canadian Mounty – I set goals and then I go after them relentlessly… and keep fighting until I make them happen. Sometimes that’s 10 or 20 years later, but I always make it happen. Always!

What is your take on 2-party system?

A failure. It isn’t working. Devastating to the American people and taxpayers. Other countries – like Germany, Israel, UK and Canada – have a parliamentary political system that allows… actually encourages… the success of third parties. The major parties cannot rule without forming a partnership (coalition) with other parties to achieve a majority. That ensures that more citizens get a say in the decisions that affect their lives.
 
In Germany a gentleman named Guido Westerwelle became Vice Chancellor (our version of Vice President) and Defense Secretary of the country. He led a third party that is a carbon copy of my Libertarian Party. They believe in smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, and a pro business attitude. So that’s our Libertarian Party. And he was a bigger-than-life personality with a background as a star of the TV reality show “Big Brother.” That is similar to my talents and my background – except I’m also a CEO, entrepreneur, small businessman, and business speaker and author.

If America had a political system like Germany, there’s a good chance I’d be Vice President of the country in 2012. In which case, my Libertarian-conservative views would be in position to influence and impact the country and U.S. economy.

But in America we all know that isn’t going to happen. The citizens are worse off for it. Our country and economy are in grave danger. The 2-party system led us to this point. We need to change the system, before we can hope to save America. We need to V.E.T.O. them all- Republicans and Democrats. “Vote Everyone of Them OUT.”
 
Could you briefly describe the Libertarian Party?

I am not just a garden variety Libertarian. I call myself a “Reagan Libertarian.” My fiscal conservative Goldwater/Reagan “roots” are that important to me. I am also a proud Tea Party supporter. And I’m the Founder of A.A.R.P. – Americans Against Rotten Politicians (laughs).

My views are simple. I believe in both economic and personal freedom. I want government out of the bedroom and the boardroom.

I believe in smaller government, dramatically lower spending, lower taxes, fewer entitlements, far fewer government employees. I believe government screws up everything it touches from the public school system, to the housing market, to the war on drugs, to the U.S. economy. I believe if we want to see jobs again, we need to get government out of the way. I believe in the Constitution – which is an instrument for limiting the power of government, and keeping power in the hands of the people. I believe that government should reward, motivate and inspire taxpayers and job creators…not target, punish and demonize them. I believe small businessmen and women are the heroes of our society. They are courageous. They create jobs by taking risks with their hard earned money. We should be doing everything we can to support them. I believe unions are ruining our school system. I believe in School Choice. Education should be based on performance (fire bad teachers) and giving freedom and power to the parents- not the unions. We need competition for public schools. If it’s good enough for Apple and Microsoft, Coke and Pepsi, it should be good enough for education too.
 
And finally, I believe we need a one year INCOME TAX VACATION. Every taxpayer in the USA would get one year off from paying taxes. We’d all get to keep 100% of our own money to heal our personal economies. That’s how you heal the U.S. economy. That’s how you turn a Great Depression II into an economic boom. This is Reagan on steroids! It costs the same as Obama’s horrible stimulus plan that failed miserably. Then when we return from this one year Income Tax Vacation, we must emulate the Hong Kong model- we go with a 15% flat tax (with only 2 deductions- mortgage interest and charitable) and a zero capital gains tax. Result? You’ll see 20 million jobs created in 5 years. Just like Reagan accomplished by cutting tax rates from 70% to 28%.

What is you typical work day like?

I’m passionate about my careers. I’m a passionate capitalist evangelist. My days never end. I work from 6 AM to 10 PM. I work 7 days a week. I work on weekends, holidays, my birthday, and anniversary. But the key is that I do it all based out of my home. I am around my wonderful family all day long. I take breaks to play with my 3 young kids. My children are Dakota (19 and away at Harvard), Hudson, 11, Remington Reagan, 7, and Contessa, 3. One swim in the pool with my kids…one walk in the park…one hour of playing football with my boys…makes all the work worthwhile. I also get to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with my kids. I’m there most nights to kiss them goodnight and say bedtime prayers. So my 16 hour workdays are broken up by family time.
 
My work day is writing commentaries, OpEds, speeches, and books… filming videos for my many businesses and political web sites… lots of phone calls and hundreds of emails… lots of meetings (usually at my home)… speeches around the country to business and political groups… and media interviews. I do over 1000 media interviews a year. Here’s the fun part – because I still earn a nice living as a Vegas oddsmaker and professional sports handicapper, I also watch game film, review and analyze football stats, and watch a dozen games a weekend on my banks of TV sets. It’s quite an action-packed life.

And I always squeeze in 2 to 3 hours per day of workouts for my body and mind- meditation, prayer, yoga, a daily walk, aerobic exercise (bike, treadmill, or elliptical) and weight lifting. Fitness is the foundation of my life. It keeps me young, fit, healthy… and gives me the high energy necessary to accomplish everything above.

How did “King of Vegas” come about?

I’ve been the leading sports prognosticator in America for 25 years. I’ve hosted TV and radio shows, and made thousands of media appearances in that role. I created, Executive Produced and co-hosted “King of Vegas” – a TV series on Spike TV. I am the only Vegas oddsmaker or professional sports handicapper honored with my own 180 pound star in the sidewalk of Las Vegas Blvd. The media has given me several titles – “King of Vegas,” “The Face of Vegas Gambling,” “America’s Oddsmaker,” and “The Prince of Prognosticators.” I’m proud to report I’ve had over 3 million callers and clients (and counting) for my sports handicapping investment advice. I’m “the Merrill Lynch of the Weekend” (laughs).

Any upcoming projects or initiatives you would like to share?

I’m meeting with investors over the next 60 days about my new political web site. It will be much like Newsmax, HuffPost, DailyCaller, etc. covering the hottest political news and opinions, but with a new, creative and exciting wrinkle. I believe it will become the most popular political web site in the country in a very short period of time.

And I’m pitching the TV networks on a new TV reality show that is perfect for the economic times we are in. This show will become “American Idol” for capitalism.
 
Talk to us about your book “The Conscience of a Libertarian”.

It should have been called “The Conscience of a Reagan Libertarian.” What America needs right now is a Reagan. We need someone who uplifts this country… who creates “morning in America.” Someone who is NOT a traditional politician. Someone who is a passionate capitalist evangelist. Someone who is self-made and was born of working class roots.
 
This book was written 3 years ago, yet it predicts exactly everything Obama would do. It also predicts the results of Obama’s tax and spend plan- I predicted massive unemployment, never-ending debt, mass failures of small businesses, and economic Armageddon. But I’m not just attacking Obama… I’m providing solutions in this book. Since everything Obama has done has failed… just as I predicted… and the economy is in the worst crisis since 1929, just as I predicted… perhaps Americans should be open to my solutions.

What are your favorite leisure time activities?

Family. Faith. Fitness. Football. Finance. That’s my life. Those are my passions. When you love what you do, your vocation becomes a vacation!

So who will be our next President?

Not sure who will win in 2012. Not sure any of them can save this economy. I think the choice is disaster (Obama) or perhaps “just muddling along” near the cliff, but avoiding a complete economic collapse (if a so-called moderate Republican wins). 2 poor choices.

My plan is to spend the next 4 years getting very well known to American voters through my books, speeches, thousands of media appearances, and I’m working on a nationally syndicated radio show.
 
Then in 2016 or 2020 after we’ve all seen the results of both Democrats and Republicans running the country into the ground for a few more years… I think it will be my turn. Remember, I’m like a Canadian Mounty. I always achieve my goal. Always!

WAR
Wayne Allyn Root

Thank you.

To learn more about Wayne Allyn Root initiatives visit  his web sites www.ROOTforAmerica.com and www.RootofSuccess.com.